Co-Dependent
by WriterTurnabout
Summary: Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth never knew how much their lives were intertwined since the fateful day when Edgworth defended Phoenix. Both opposite sides of a coin, yet one can't be without the other. Reviews are welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: **Setting is mainly in the first game(creates a totally different scenario though), but can change later on if I feel like it~

Chapter 1

**September 9, 2:30 P.M (District Court, Bathroom)**

Phoenix Wright sat on the toilet in one of the empty bathroom stalls in total silence. No one else was in the bathroom besides him, and it didn't bother him at all. In fact it was welcomed, this allowed for some peace to settle in his mind. He had to get away from all the commotion outside, especially with the press hugging the courthouse's main entrance. Phoenix pictured tomorrow's newspaper headline: "_Demon Prosecutor, Edgeworth Miles, loses to a rookie!_**" **A sly smile crept on his face and emitted a small chuckle. It had been a tough battle in the courtroom, and extremely tedious, it was as if he was defending for his life, literally! Somehow, the jerk Mr. White convinced the authorities that a defense attorney, working on the case, was the true culprit. Unbelievable! To be fair, he was at the crime scene where his mentor, Mia, was murdered. Phoenix head bowed down slightly as his gaze fell from the blue stall's door to the white and black checkered floor. He shifted his arms and gently rested his elbows on his laps and clasped both hands together. Even though it was only a few minutes ago he was speaking to his Chief through her little sister, Maya, he already misses her dearly.

_"Imagine how Maya feels, losing her only family to an arrogant, blackmailing scumbag!"_

Phoenix gritted his teeth unknowingly at the thought, and then relaxed his jaw. He heaved a huge sigh. Sitting in the droning silence, he heard buzzing from the lobby.

_"Maybe the press got in..."_

That didn't matter much to him, after all, they would be chasing down his old friend, Miles Edgeworth. His perfect record of guilty verdicts now has a itty-bitty smudge thanks to yours truly. He must've been furious, since he stormed out of the courtroom in an overly-dramatic fashion instead of a calm and mighty composure.

_"Wonder how he's handling it.."_

Suddenly, a huge slam echoed into the once quiet bathroom, interrupting Phoenix's thoughts. It was the door to the bathroom that was opened quite rudely. From the lobby outside, he can hear a certain absent-minded detective's voice stuttering.

"W-Wait, are you sure you're alright Mr.-"

An all-too-familiar deep voice snapped back at the poor detective.

"I'm fine! I just need to wash up!"

And with that, another unnecessary door slam followed, emphasizing how angry the person who came in the bathroom was. Phoenix saw a flash of fast paced footsteps of expensive- looking black dress shoes stomped by, meanwhile the man muttered furiously with a sharp hiss at the end of each insult.

"That imbecile! That fool! That amateur! How could I possibly lose to an unsophisticated lawyer like him, let alone a rookie! He probably doesn't even know the first thing of how to be a lawyer! This is completely absurd, and a huge insult to my career that I've worked so hard on!

Meanwhile, Phoenix is utterly stunned in his bathroom stall. He has no idea what to do in a situation like this. Right now, all he can think to himself: _"Well, there's my answer."_

The angry footsteps continued and then stopped abruptly. A loud bang rang out throughout the room. There was a quiet pause, and Phoenix panicked.

_"He knows I'm here!"_

He was absolutely frozen stiff on the toilet seat, and he could feel the color draining from his face. His hair stood on end, and even though it seemed impossible for his hair to be even spikier, he realized it was possible. Phoenix held his breath and waited for the angry prosecutor to yell out his name at any moment. The sound of running water cut through the silence. More angry rambling continued, but in a low raspy whisper.

_"On second thought, he hasn't noticed."_

Phoenix decided to stay a while and eavesdrop on his rival's endless stream of curses, not that it amuses him of course. To be sure he wouldn't be caught, he bought his legs up to his body, hugging his knees on the toilet seat. From the outside view, he looked like a spiky blue hedgehog curled into a ball. It was extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing for him, being a fully grown adult and all. Having no idea how this would help or benefit the defense attorney, he listened anyway.

"Of all people, it has to be _him _that I face in court. It has been too long since I last saw Phoenix...so why now? He couldn't be possibly be track-no, that's not right..."

_"Urk! He's definitely onto me!"_

Truth to be told, the sole reason why he's a defense attorney is because of that man, who is currently wishing a thousand deaths on his poor spiky head. It was the perfect opportunity to confront his old friend of what happened to him. He was supposed to be a defense attorney, not a prosecutor, or "demon" prosecutor nonetheless. What changed him so dramatically? Why did he disappear back then? What of his proud father's influence? There was so much to ask, and the questions piled themselves in Phoenix's mouth, waiting to burst out. He held in his curiosity and growing frustration with all his willpower, swallowing the would-be outburst, only to be clogged in his throat.

A few minutes have gone by, seemingly like forever to Phoenix. There was silence for some time, besides the rushing water from the sinks and splashing. His legs began to feel stiff, not to mention his arms are tired from hugging his legs to anchor them in place. His rival's temper has simmered down, and it sounded like he was washing his face from the excessive splash effects. Since there was nothing worthwhile to stay for, he decided he wanted to leave the bathroom. Besides, Maya should be gaining consciousness any moment now. Summoning her older sister, Mia, depleted much of her energy, since it was the first time she ever channeled a spirit into her body.

_"I should check on her, and leaving her unconscious on the couch too long in the lobby isn't a great idea. Although, she should be awake now. But, how do I get out of here?"_

Leaving the bathroom stall nonchalantly wasn't an option, especially with _him _still washing his face, creating a super awkward situation and a confrontation, and they weren't the most fun social interactions. He would have to slip out silently, and it should be easy enough, after all, the prosecutor must be all muddled and dulled by his outburst of emotions and thoughts. With that small comforting thought, it boosted Phoenix's confidence, and he reached for the locked latch on the stall's door. The latch made a soft click when unlocked, even when Phoenix tried his hardest to make no sound at all. Luckily, the other man hasn't noticed. The stealthy defense attorney proceeded to plant both feet on the checkered bathroom tiles with much care. Wanting to check if the other was distracted, he opened the door slightly ajar, just enough to peek out and scan the sink area. Scanning the view outside of the stall he was in, the sight at the sinks surprised him. There, Miles Edgeworth didn't look professional in the mirror, he looked like a mess. His deep red wine jacket was crumply laid on the counter next to the porcelain sink he was using, exposing his well ironed dress shirt with sleeves rolled up carelessly and a black vest. His dress shirt's buttons were undone, and so was his cravat that hung limply around his neck, no longer defying the law of physics and showing his collar bone underneath. Edgeworth's face was completely drenched with water, dripping from his pointed chin and tips of his well-groomed hair. He had a solemn and dark expression on his smooth face with the help of his outrageous hair bangs casting shadows around his light gray eyes. His rigid body hovered over the counter and both hands pressing down, and his legs locked in a defensive stance.

From inside the stall, Phoenix was staring at Edgeworth, unable to turn his eyes away from the scene. He didn't know why he kept staring, he just wanted too. Maybe it was because he looked so vulnerable in this state, and it was a rare sight to behold, because the Edgeworth he was used to seeing was an esteemed man with high air surrounding him and an arrogant attitude. But here, he looked...weak. It struck a pang of guilt in Phoenix's heart, but it was the right thing to do. After four years of perfect wins, it's what he needed to realize he's not an untouchable being, but a carrier of law.

Phoenix must have been staring at Edgeworth too long, and that's when the prosecutor's eyes hardened and shot up, glaring intensely at the suspicious bathroom stall with a hazel brown eye was peeping out. This shocked Phoenix, making him flinch and letting out a strange sound from within his throat.

"Urk!"

"Who's there?"

_"Crap, my cover's blown!"_

**More Notes: **Totally felt like I dragged this scene out longer than it should have, but don't worry, next ch will have some action going on!~


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**September 9, 2:40 P.M (District Court, Bathroom)**

Phoenix's nervous heart dropped, and nearly into the toilet bowl too. It was frightening to see Edgeworth's cold, icy, gray eyes staring at the reflection of his own peeping eye. Phoenix pulled away from the crack of the open stall door, not knowing what to do next. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on the sides of his head.

_"Gulp! What do I do now?! I can't explain why I'm here without being suspicious! Why do I suddenly feel like crying...?"_

HOLD IT!

_"I have every right to be here, in fact, I was using the bathroom first! Well not using it, but that doesn't matter, Edgeworth is the one that should be explaining himself! Besides, I have quite a few question for him."_

With this newly found confidence, Phoenix's mouth stretched to one corner more than the other, his eyes gleamed with determination, and his thoughts are collected once again. He had a rather smug look on his face, ready to take on his rival in pink. After all, he did beat the_ Demon Prosecutor _in court today. Clashing heads with Edgeworth again shouldn't be too hard, right?

The confident defense attorney pushed the matching blue stall door, and strode out coolly. There he faced the prosecutor, who had turned around from his sink. His white dress shirt now fully buttoned, no longer partially showing the pale smooth chest underneath, and the cravat caressing his neck, wrapped around snuggly. Its frills however, were still limped and damped at the tips. Speaking of damp, Edgeworth's face wasn't dripping with sink water, but wasn't dried completely. His bangs hung lower than usual, giving him a more cold and darker appearance on his fac. Phoenix was busy noticing these small, unimportant details about the man who was standing stiffly a couple of feet away, in front of him. The attorney in a blue suit was unaware of the unamused look the prosecutor was giving him, even though it was a complete set of hardened eyes and etched frown.

"...Mr. Wright?" asked Edgeworth, catching Phoenix off-guard.

"Huh?" Phoenix stupidly replied.

_"Real smooth Phoenix, real smooth."_

Edgeworth was staring at Phoenix with contempt and folded arms, waiting for a decent response from the spiky idiot. However, Phoenix was dumbstruck, and at a loss for words. His confidence disappeared instantly after taking a glance at the stern man's face. The smug look was wiped off immediately, and Phoenix cringed. The man before him was unfazed, showing no hint of emotion, as if he was a robot or a statue. Phoenix didn't expect this at all, he thought Edgeworth would express a little concern why Phoenix was spying on him from the bathroom stall. He found himself lost in the situation, and his thoughts were scattered around his brain.

_"Argh! Quick, think of something to say!"_

Out of habit, Phoenix raised him arm to the back of his head, and scratched it. An anxious grin appeared on his face as he tried to muster his voice again.

"D-Don't you think this bathroom is weird?"

Edgeworth, unmoving, raised a slim eyebrow, but kept the same stern look on his face.

"Pardon?" inquired Edgeworth with an elegant, British accent.

"Usually the sinks are in front, near the door of course. Meanwhile, urinals are next then a few stalls. But everything in here is reversed, urinals then stalls, then the sinks."

Beads of sweat were forming again at the sides of his forehead, unable to reorganize his thoughts.

_"At this rate, I'll become a scatter-brain like Detective Gumshoe."_

Edgeworth began to tap his index finger on his arm impatiently, and he gave a sour expression, as if he tasted something bad. His brows furrowed and he locked eyes with a very nervous Phoenix.

"Is that all you have to say?" demanded Edgeworth in a harsh tone.

"Um.."

"Since your obviously trying to stall with small talk, I'll ask directly. Exactly why are you here?"

Phoenix shifted his gaze away, knowing Edgeworth was still staring straight at him. He can't back down now, but the bathroom door does seem tempting...

"Using the bathroom, why else? What about you, are you in the bathroom for a different reason?" asked Phoenix in an attempt to shift the blame on Edgeworth for this awkward confrontation.

"Mr. Wright, I could hardly call "peeping out of a bathroom stall" is a proper way to do business in a restroom."

"Well, I object! Yelling at the bathroom mirror isn't a proper way either."

Edgeworth gave Phoenix a scowl. Phoenix smirked, he knew he had won that one.

There was a long pause of awkward silence between the two.

"How...long have you been here?" Edgeworth asked in a more gentle tone than his previous one. He wasn't burning holes into Phoenix anymore, and his eyes met the checkered floor instead. Phoenix can see Edgeworth trying to change the subject slightly, but also more importantly, he seemed...embarrassed. His skin was pretty pale, considering he a man who spends most of his time dedicated to his work, and it was easy to see a tint of pink on his cheeks. Edgeworth turned his head to the side, trying to hide his reddened cheeks. His left hand clutched his right arm for security, a habit that probably gave him some form of comfort. Phoenix took note of all of this, hoping it was significant information about his old friend. He did want to know what happened to him after all these years, and Phoenix chased Edgeworth it, even going as far as to studying law and becoming a defense attorney. Besides, Edgeworth's actions reminded Phoenix of a cowering puppy, it was almost...cute? That's definitely not the right word.

"Quite long enough to finish my business," Phoenix replied mockingly.

"If you're "quite" done, may I suggest you leave the bathroom instead of lingering around? I don't want you watching me while I'm in here," countered Edgeworth at Phoenix's snide remark. A hint of rising anger could be heard in his voice, but Phoenix didn't notice.

"I'm not completely finish, after all, I need to wash my hands. But, I see you're busy hogging the sinks at the moment."

Edgeworth spun around and grabbed his red wine jacket hastily from the sink's counter.

"Be my guest then!" growled Edgeworth in a gruff manner as he walked quickly past Phoenix, towards the door, all in the meanwhile putting the jacket on swiftly. The defense attorney backed up a bit, surprised at the prosecutor's sudden outburst. He wanted to yell for him to wait, but before he could, Edgeworth was out of the bathroom and the door slammed behind him for the third time. Phoenix had only taken a step forward with his arm half-stretched out his arm and his mouth partly opened. There was a lot of things Phoenix wanted to discuss about with Edgeworth, yet he managed to screw-up. This was probably the one chance he had to finally meet with his old friend personally, a chance to catch up, a chance to find out why, and it was most likely his last. He wanted to chase after him, but seeing how he provoked him, Phoenix decided it was best not to. Chasing was what Phoenix had been doing anyway, maybe it was time to stop.

Phoenix walked up to a sink that was next the sink that Edgeworth was previously using. He turned the handle, and water came out with a _swoosh. _He put his hands under the running water to wash them.

_"That could've gone better."_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**September 9, 2:45 P.M (District Court, Lobby)**

Maya rubbed her eye tiredly on the red plush sofa in the lobby. She scanned the spotless lobby for anyone. The lights reflected on the well-polished floor too nicely, and it burned Maya's eyes, causing her to rub them even more. There were no guards at the court room's main entrance, since their trial was the last for today. The old geezer of a judge was complaining how the court room was unusually rowdier than what is allowed, and used it as a poor excuse to take the rest of the day off. Maya felt a little lonely with no one around and then she looked over to her left. There was a nice potted plant resembling a tree, with its forest green leaves and a miniature trunk. She scoot over to the other end of the sofa near the plant, and leaned over to rest her arms and head of the sofa's arms. Out of sheer boredom, she began to talk to the plant.

"Hiya there! Have you seen a man named Phoenix Wright?" giggled the silly spirit medium as she half jokingly asked the green plant.

"You can't miss him, he has weird spiky hair that sticks up unnaturally and wears a blue suit with a red necktie. Oh! He also has this tiny badge that proves he's a defense attorney, and he doesn't look like one with his hair and all, so he has to carry it around."

"You got that right, pal!" exclaimed a voice. Maya slightly jumped out of her seat, not knowing there was another person in the lobby. Her eyes widened in surprised, and she turned her head quickly to the direction of the voice, and saw a large man standing next to the sofa with a worn out trench coat.

"D-Detective Gumshoe!" the spirit medium spat out in shock.

_"How did I miss him?!"_

"Yup! And why are you talking to that plant?"

Maya didn't want to answer, it was embarrassing!

"So...what are you doing here Detective?" Maya promptly said, trying to change the subject.

"Hm, me? I'm waiting for Mr. Edgeworth, he's pretty upset after losing against Harry Butz."

"..Harry...Butz?"

"Yeah! The guy who was found guilty!"

"Detective, the actual name is Larry Butz, and he's a friend of Phoenix."

"..."

"..?"

"WAIT, HOLD ON A MINUTE PAL!" shouted Detective Gumshoe.

"Eep!" Maya said, taken back by surprise.

"Phoenix Wright! He's that defense attorney in court today!"

"..."

Detective Gumshoe wrung his fist in anger and shook it, meanwhile puffing his chest out.

"WHERE IS HE?! I need to have a word with him, and maybe more! My salary is getting a bashing because of him!" bellowed the Detective as he glared at Maya.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! I don't know where he is!"

"Well if you're out here, pal, then he must be in there!" Detective Gumshoe deducted as he motioned to the bathroom door that was next to the red sofa with his chin.

The loud detective suddenly grew quiet, and his thick eyebrows raised in realization and eyes bugging out just like Maya earlier.

"What is it?"

"..."

"Um..."

"Mr. Edgeworth..is in there.." said the scruffy large man in a surprisingly quiet voice.

"What?"

"MR. EDGEWORTH IS IN THERE TOO!"

"Eek!" shrieked Maya, and this time, she jumped out of her seat.

"Things can get ugly!" said Detective Gumshoe as he rushed to fling open the bathroom the door. But the door swung open itself, with the scruffy detective in front of it. The smooth wooden door's surface smashed right into his face with a sickening crack sound. Detective Gumshoe yelped in pain. Edgeworth stepped out, just in time to see his assistant's face squashed. His fierce expression on his face has been replaced by a guilty look. Letting the bathroom door slam behind him, the prosecutor went over to the detective who was holding both hands to his face. Meanwhile, Maya stood silently at the sidelines with a shocked look on her face, watching everything play out in front of her like a movie.

"Are you alright Detective Gumshoe?" asked the prosecutor in a soothing voice.

"I-It's nothing, sir," muffled the detective through his hands which were cupping inwardly around his nose area.

"Let me see."

"Really, I'm fin-"

"Now."

Detective Gumshoe whimpered and slowly moved his hands away from his face, revealing the injured nose. It was bruised a mixture of smoldered purple and light green, and it swelled up a bit on the nose bridge. Blood lightly trickled from his nostril, touching the top of his upper lip. He was clearly wincing in pain, and raised his hand to his nose to wipe the blood off.

"Don't touch it," commanded the prosecutor.

"Yes sir" said the detective as he halted in mid-action.

Edgeworth pulled out a baby pink handkerchief from his pants' pocket and handed it to Detective Gumshoe.

"Here, use this for your nose. You don't have to return it afterwards."

"T-Thank you sir!"

The detective took the silky cloth kindly, wiped the thin trail of blood, and covered his nose to prevent anymore bleeding.

"We're going to the nearest clinic."

With that, Edgeworth started to walk in a dignified manner to the exit. Detective Gumshoe followed suit, walking behind the prosecutor still covering his nose.

"W-Wait, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya abruptly shouted to the leaving men. She bit her lip, because she had no idea what to say to him! The only reason why she wanted to talk to the man was because he was close to convicting Nick, not to mention, he tried to convict her too.

Both of them stopped, and Edgeworth turned his head to the side where he can see the spirit medium in the corner of his eye. Detective Gumshoe looked back at Maya with furrowed eyebrows, closely listening to see if she's going to trash talk to Edgeworth.

"Don't... don't use the main entrance, the press might still be there," she uttered with a pause in between, unsure of herself. Maya didn't have anything else to say, because she had already accused of him of tormenting innocent people. His answer to her previous outburst was enough to render her speechless, and insulting cruelly wasn't her thing, especially if it involved a four year perfect win record ruined.

She could see a brief moment of confusion on the prosecutor's face, then it set back to his default signature expression. He nodded slightly in gratitude, then walked to a different exit, with the detective obediently following. They left, and she was in the lobby standing alone. As if on cue, a tiny _click _of a turned door handle was heard, and the bathroom's door opened. Nick came out and saw Maya standing near the plush sofa.

He grinned and said, "Hey Maya, you're awake!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**September 9, 2:51 P.M (District Courthouse, Parking Lot)**

The pair of men walk towards the entrance to the parking lot. They both kept an awkward silence ever since they left the lobby. The detective would frequently glance over to the prosecutor's face, but he found the same permanent frown and narrowed eyes every time. After working with the man in red for three years, he can tell that the other man's mood is as red as his suit. He was practically fuming, and the last thing he would want to talk about is that defense attorney, Phoenix Wright. His paycheck is surely going to be cut like minced meat because of him. Detective Gumshoe looked at the paved sidewalk glumly, and sighed, hoping this would be the last cut he will ever receive.

For Gumshoe, the silence was painstaking to handle, but he respected his partner's downtime. Meanwhile, he occupied himself with his thoughts and whatever is there to see at the moment. He looked at the courthouse across the street to the left, admiring how majestic the perfect, tall pillars were. It was oddly quiet in the front of the courthouse, since the press was supposed to be there crowding the large marble staircase in front of the main entrance.

_"Guess they have been cleared out by the guards."_

Gumshoe turned over to Edgeworth wanting to break the seemingly forever silence.

"Hey look Mr. Edgeworth, the press isn't there."

"Hm, yes," mumbled Edgeworth as he didn't bother to face Gumshoe.

"Guess we didn't have to sneak out the back after all, ey?

Again the silence settled, but there was buzzing inside the parking lot. The source of buzzing was from mob up in front. They had professional cameras and microphones waving around as they were being shooed and pushed by the police. The crowd was surrounding a very familiar red sports car, which Gumshoe recognized right away. The rough detective grabbed Edgeworth by the arm, with his free hand, and yanked him down as he crouched below besides a blue jeep. Edgeworth flinched a great deal upon touch and glared at Gumshoe.

"What's the meaning of this?!" scolded Edgeworth as Gumshoe stuffed the handkerchief into his trench coats' pocket.

"Shh" hushed the detective.

"Not so loud, the press is loitering around your car sir, if they saw you, they'll rush you for sure."

"A future warning would've been helpful detective," hiss Edgeworth as he smoothed out the wrinkles on his well tailored suit.

Annoyed shouts from the press echoed throughout the parking lot.

"The parking lot is a public area!"

"We are exercising our rights!"

"We need a press coverage on the Demon Prosecutor's lost today!"

"The public has a right to know!"

Edgeworth peered over the corner briefly before retreating.

" It seems like we can't use my car anytime soon," he said sourly.

Detective Gumshoe was deep in thought, scratching his head and rubbing his chin for effect. His eyes lit up, indicating that he had some kind of plan. Edgeworth could swear he saw a light bulb go off above the detective's head.

"I'll handle this!" grinned Gumshoe as pulled himself up to his feet. He strode over to the mob confidently, ready to take them on.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" yelled the detective, as he pulled out his detective badge, immediately quieting the police guards and the press. Both guards looked at the detective with grateful eyes and saluted, thinking the detective will be able to help.

"Sir! The press is causing a disturbance in a public area and need to leave immediately at once!" stated one of the guards as he saluted. The angry mob didn't back off, and continued to demand for Edgeworth.

"Where is he!? He was supposed to be here an half a hour ago!"

" The public has a right to know!"

Gumshoe was about to give them a lame excuse that Edgeworth left the area an hour ago and a poor man reported that his car was surround by mysterious people, but something red caught his eye. It was a red sports car look-a-like driving out into the street from the parking lot, and inspiration struck.

"If you guys really want to know, he just drove off" Gumshoe slyly said while pointing to the other car which sped down the street.

"Detective!" the police guards cried in unison with disbelief.

The whole mob went into an uproar, frantically rushing into their vehicles with huge beams and satellites on top of their vans.

"After him!"

"Yeah!"

"The public has a right to know!"

Within a few seconds, the press was cleared out, leaving the police guards utterly speechless. Detective Gumshoe chuckled to himself being clever. Edgeworth stepped out from behind the jeep, and walked over to his sports car. The police guards again were in disbelief, watching Edgeworth as he opened his car.

"Good work detective," complimented Edgeworth as he got in his car.

"As always!" Gumshoe beamed, and got in the shotgun's seat.

"I still haven't forgotten about your cut."

"Ack!"

They drove off, leaving the guards in the dust and clueless. All they can do now is say, "Huh?!"

* * *

Edgeworth and Gumshoe sat in the car as they passed by all sorts of cafes, diners, shops, and a park. Gumshoe was still proud of his devious plan, and chattered away about it.

"I was pretty smart out there, right sir?" asked the detective cheerfully.

'Yes, sure," Edgeworth responded as he paid more attention to the road.

"I didn't plan them a goose chase, but another red sports car coincidently showed up!"

"Mhm"

"Yea know, I was originally going to say you left a while ago and that was another man's car, but it would've never worked out. They probably won't fall for a excuse like that, I mean, I didn't have any type of evidence at the time, and evidence is important, especially in cour-"

"Detective, your nose is bleeding again."

"Ah!"

Gumshoe rummaged his pockets and pulled out the stain handkerchief and it part of it in his nostril, so he wouldn't have to hold it. He turned to Edgeworth to say more, but the prosecutor wasn't amused at all. He was still cold, and focused only on the road ahead of him. The detective sighed and looked out his window instead. He watched as the stores and shops passed one by one, keeping a mental counter.

"Detective Gumshoe."

The detective turned his head once again to Edgeworth, who was still looking straight ahead.

"How is your nose?"

"Fine and dandy! It hurts a little bit, but I'm sure it's nothing too serious."

Edgeworth hesitated before speaking again.

"I'm .. sorry," Edgeworth jerkily said. He was never good at being sentimental, or emotional for that fact. Gumshoe noticed his sudden change in demeanor, but he knew his issues better than anyone, so he shrugged it off.

"It's fine sir! Really, it was nice enough for you to drive me to the clinic. I could have rode the bus there myself."

"You wouldn't need to go to the clinic in the first place if I hadn't broken your nose."

"Accidents happen."

Edgeworth made a right turn down a different street, but shifted his eyes for a second at Gumshoe. He saw a newly form crescent shaped bruise under the detective's eye. It had a reddish-brownish hue, and it made the detective look tired.

"Mr. Edgeworth..." Gumshoe quietly said.

"Yes detective?"

"I've been meaning to ask you, and I hope you don't mind.." Gumshoe trailed off.

"What is it?"

"..."

Gumshoe didn't know how to approach Edgeworth directly, but he tried his best.

"What...Why did you take so long in the bathroom?"

Edgeworth gave the detective a look before turning his eyes back to the road.

"Detective, I don't think that's an appropriate question to ask."

"But, sir, I have a right to know."

"Please, your beginning to sound like the press."

"Then at least tell me why you were angry when you came out."

"I never said I was furious, or angry for that matter."

"But my nose felt it."

Edgeworth furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to be focused on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, making his knuckles more prominent then it was before. He let out a heavy sigh. It seemed like everyone is getting the better of him today. Gumshoe waited for his response, knowing it had to do with that defense attorney.

"I..I didn't expect to see him anytime soon," said Edgeworth with a heavy heart. A lump was forming in his throat, trying to prevent him for speaking. He didn't want to, but the feelings he bottled up were leaking out.

"No one ever uses the court's bathroom, so it was kind of unexpected," Gumshoe said reassuringly.

"Not in that way.."

Gumshoe grew concern and faced Edgeworth. His expression was so somber, and his eyes were hard and dark. But his mouth was unmoving, and it was in a perfect 180 degree line.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"He is the last man I would ever want to see in court, or anywhere else," Edgeworth finished saying bitterly.

"Do you and the Wright pal, have history together?"

Edgeworth slowed down and parked at the curb in front of the clinic. He twisted his car keys, turned off the engine, and placed his hand on the car's handle.

In a cold tone, Edgeworth said, "We're here."

* * *

**A/N: I totally wanted to upload this earlier and get two chapters in by this weekend . Look like that's not happening, woops~ Sorry guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**September 9, 3:25 P.M (People's Clinic, Waiting Room)**

The clinic was run by a family of three, two parents and a daughter, and it was relatively small. There were a few people sitting in the waiting room, a young girl with her mother and an old man on the green sofas. Edgeworth helped signed Gumshoe in the list, but given his current condition, Gumshoe was immediately looked at. He was led into the back of the clinic where the doctor's office was at, and the prosecutor was forced to wait in the waiting room. Although, Edgeworth wasn't forced, he insisted to stay, after all, he did break his assistant's nose.

"You have another case to work on sir!"

"It's fine, another hour of break can't hurt."

Edgeworth sat on the cushions with his right leg crossed over and arms folded. He glanced at the pile of eye-catching tabloid magazines on the small coffee table in front of him, scrunching his nose in disgust.

_"Who would read such magazines with an unnecessary gaudy cover-page?" _

The woman in her early thirties, sitting on the same couch as him, was gaping over a love matching article in one of the tabloid magazines. Meanwhile, her daughter was playing with her barbie doll, brushing the blonde curly hair with a tiny brush while the little girl hummed to herself. The old man on the opposite sofa was grunting and mumbling to himself about the old days and youngsters. Edgeworth couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling that the other patients are inferior. But the feeling made him think of a certain man in blue who he lost to, despite the fact that man has only done one case before. Anger started to boil in Edgeworth as he tried to erase his thoughts about the spiky idiot, but his face was already constipated in annoyance. Caught up in his thoughts, he hasn't noticed the lady working at the desk for the hour frequently stole glances at him.

There was the sound of a door opening and two pair of footsteps. Edgeworth spun his head in the direction of the narrow hallway leading to the back of the clinic. The lady at the desk panicked and looked down, hoping the handsome man in the red suit hasn't seen her staring, fortunately he did not. Gumshoe came out with a weary doctor holding a clipboard and a small plastic bag. Edgeworth got up and walked over to the two men.

"How is his condition?" Edgeworth asked the doctor.

"There is a bit of swelling, but his nasal fracture is mild. His nose should heal in about two weeks. At the end of this week, come back so I can remove your nose cast, that way you can apply the ointment every night for a week," stated the doctor monotonously as he gave the detective the small bag.

"Thanks doc!" thanked Gumshoe happily while taking the bag from him.

"You're welcome."

The detective and prosecutor walked out of the clinic and to the car. Gumshoe was poking the nose cast, which was a very thick bandage strapped to his face. Edgeworth took out his car keys from his pocket and opened the car.

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth."

Edgeworth looked over to the smiling detective.

"I'm going to head over to the Police Department first, I need to file out some reports there."

"Do you need a lift?" offered Edgeworth.

"Nope. I'm going by bus, and it takes 30 minutes from the Police Department to the Prosecutor's Office, so it'll be a waste of time for ya. See you sir!"

Gumshoe sped off in the opposite direction before Edgeworth can say anything else, and he sighed.

* * *

**September 9, 3:55 P.M (Prosecutor's Building, 1st Floor)**

Edgeworth approached the front desk in the main lobby. Two secretaries worked feverishly behind the large desk, receiving multiple calls at once.

"Sorry, if you want to make an appointment with Mr. Edgeworth, you will have to do check in with him personally."

"Please contact Mr. Edgeworth personally if you want an interview."

Edgeworth slammed a single hand on the desk for their attention, and both secretaries instantly looked up.

"H-Hello Mr. Edgeworth, what can I do for you?" greeted the blonde secretary nervously as she hung up the phone.

Both secretaries were intimidated by the young prosecutor, since he was not in the best of moods, and he was unconsciously glaring.

"Is there any mail for me?" Edgeworth asked as casually as he could, trying to ignore the earlier phone calls he heard from the secretaries.

"Miranda, please check Mr. Edgeworth's mailbox."

Miranda grabbed a stack and placed it on the desk. It was an unusually large bundle of mail for Edgeworth, since he mostly uses e-mail.

"Thank you," said Edgeworth as he swiftly placed the bundle under his arm. He then headed to his office, which is on the top floor of the building, the 12th. The prosecutor avoided the elevators, and took the staircase instead, and walked up 12 flights of stairs. Normally it wasn't an easy feat, but Edgeworth is quite fit and have been used to it for years now. He climbed the stairs steadily in a rhythmic pace.

Finally reaching his office, room 1202, he dropped the bundle on his working desk and sat on the black leather swivel chair behind it. Edgeworth relaxed his tensed muscles and breathed out. He massaged his temples, calming his nerves. It had been an exhausting day, and he was ready to take the day off. But what would he do? He has over worked himself every night and took on cases continuously, never taking a break, just like Von Karma. There is absolutely no chance of him breaking that streak, and he doesn't have a hobby, so what else is there? Think of Wright? The prosecutor was momentarily stunned by the thought of that defense attorney, and then scoffed it off. He got up from his sleek desk chair and went over to his tea set. Edgeworth began preparing tea for himself with his fine china, boiling water in a boiler and carefully selected a soothing herbal tea.

Pouring himself a cup, he then walked back to his desk and sat down to start working. Turning on his lap top, it whirred to life and lit up. As it was loading, Edgeworth examined each letter carefully. Some weren't exactly letters, but folders containing various documents. They were all sent by a single person, named Dennis J. Wilson.

_"Dennis J. Wilson... haven't I heard that name before?"_

He continued to shuffle through the letters, and there were three murder cases involving a company, WilTech. Three employees were individually murdered in each case, and each one unsolved. Among the bulky case files, there was a small, slim, sliver envelope with a genuine red wax seal. On the envelope itself, it read: To Edgeworth, in fine calligraphy skill writing. He peeled the tip of the wax seal, and it came undone easily. Inside the envelope, there was a business letter and a ticket. The letter was a bit ominous, it read:

310-

-Edgeworth-

Dear Mr. Edgeworth,

I am writing this letter to request your help in the field of your profession. You may have heard the recent news between my company, WilTech, and - involving a scandal-. But I have another request about the three murder cases that I've mailed you. Please do not distribute or discuss these files with another because the files are strictly confidential. Our meeting, hopefully will take place if you agree, is on September 25th, and on a private cruise ship. The ship-for the duration of our meeting. My contact information can be found at the top of this letter. I will be waiting for your call.

Thank you,

Dennis J. Wilson

There was ink smudges on the page, making some parts illegible, and the bottom right corner was ripped off. The contact information was completely cut, except for the area code of the number. The letter mentioned a scandal with the company WilTech, and it sounded recent.

_"I'll have to investigate this matter at a later time."_

Edgeworth set aside the letter and documents along with the suspicious invitation, and began to work on another homicide case on the laptop. He needed to the read the case files for a better understanding, so he reached for the briefcase where it usually was, at the side of the desk. But, his hand only found air. He looked over the corner and saw no briefcase.

_...Where's my briefcase?_

* * *

**September 9 2:51 P.M (District Court, Lobby)**

"You okay Maya?" asked Phoenix as he looked at the spirit medium oddly.

"Yeah, but, um.. what happened?" Maya asked with a confused look.

"I...I think you channeled Mia's spirit."

"Really?!"

"You didn't know?"

"No, I suddenly blacked out and woke up on the couch, but I knew you would win!"

"Heh, thanks..."

"Wish I got to see her though..."

"..."

"Oh, by the way, what happened in the bathroom?"

Phoenix gave Maya a funny look.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, with Edgeworth, he seemed pretty angry when he came out."

_You got that right, he had a tantrum._

_ "_I didn't see him in there."

"You're such a bad liar, Nick!"

_Urk!_

"Um...l-let's go! They might kick us out of the courthouse if we stay here too long."

Phoenix headed for the exit, but Maya stopped him.

"Nick!"

"What?"

"You don't have your briefcase with you."

_Now that she mentions it..._

"I think I left it in the courtroom..."

"Well go get it then!"

Phoenix sighed and entered the empty courtroom, while Maya trailed behind him. It was uncomfortably silent without the jury there to comment on every twist and turn. With the courtroom so silent and empty, Phoenix began to notice every detail of the place. The wood was polished until it shined, the velvet ropes were soft and furry, and the judge's seat was very tempting to sit on and bang the gavel. He walked over to the defense' table, searching for his briefcase. It was on the floor behind the table, and he picked up the black, plastic briefcase by the metal handle.

"OBJECTION!"

Phoenix was startled by the sudden shout, and jumped back. He glared at Maya who was at the prosecutor's table, extending her arm our and pointing directly at him.

"What are you doing?! You gave me a heart attack!" exclaimed Phoenix.

Maya giggled at Phoenix's reaction, and skipped to the defense's side. But she stopped midway, since she noticed something at the side of the prosecutor's table. It was an expensive looking briefcase, made of black leather and had a stainless steel handle. She grabbed it by the handle and put it on the prosecutor's table.

"Hey Nick, why is your briefcase at the prosecutor's table?"

"What do you mean? I have it in my hand," said Phoenix and lifted the briefcase for Maya to see.

"But..that means...this is Edgeworth's!" Maya said as she lifted Edgeworth's briefcase with both hands in the air.

"Wait, wait, wait, let me see the briefcase."

Phoenix dashed over to the prosecutor's side and swiped the briefcase from Maya's hands.

"Hey!"

He quickly examined it, and saw the briefcase was made in Germany.

"Let's open it Nick!" said Maya as she flipped open the latches.

"Wait-" Nick said as he tried to keep the top half of the briefcase from being opened, but too late. Maya and Phoenix have officially invaded Edgeworth's privacy.

There were case file papers and documents corresponding to their case. There was a single white envelope hidden amongst the papers, and Phoenix took it. The envelope had already been neatly opened, and it doesn't have a single wrinkle or stain, making the envelope look blindingly white. He turned it over to the front side, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"What is it Nick?" asked Maya as she scattered the papers around.

"...N-Nothing," stuttered Phoenix as he shoved the envelope in his blue suit jacket's pocket.

* * *

**A/N- Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!~**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**September 9, 3:25 P.M (Wright and Co. Law Offices)**

Phoenix groaned as he filed paperwork from the previous case as Maya watched a rerun episode of the _Steel Samurai. _

"Go, go! Get him Steel Samurai!" excitedly yelled as she swung her arms around, doing weird fighting stances. It was entertaining to watch her to be all hyped up, and he decided to join her. He needed a lunch break anyway, obviously not because the paperwork was tedious and straining. He sat down on the blue couch next to Maya who was standing and pumping her fist in the air.

"So what are you watching?" Phoenix asked Maya as he leaned forward to read a newspaper on top of the coffee table. Maya was aghast as Phoenix's question, who didn't know the Steel Samurai.

"Nick! How do you not know the Steel Samurai?! It's really popular, especially with the kids!"

"Kids? So this is a kid's show?"

"So?"

"Aren't you a bit too old for this Maya?"

"You're a "bit" too old gramps!"

"I'm only 24!"

"24 years too old."

_Ack! She makes me sound like a geezer!_

Phoenix read the newspaper more, but then suddenly swiped it off the table and jumped off the sofa with a scream.

"AAH!"

"Wh-What Nick?! What's wrong?!" panicked Maya.

"Switch to the news channel! Now!"

The confused spirit medium clumsily grabbed the remote off the coffee table and switched channels. The news channel came on, and the news anchor was in the middle of a news report.

_"..and the man who owned red sports car was in pursuit by an angry mob. Witness' saw three vans chasing the car, speeding past each traffic light with no regards. The man was in a panic as the mob shouted at him saying comments such as ,"The public has a right to know!" Huge traffic jams were the result of this chase, and damage reports will be filed soon."_

Phoenix slumped back onto the sofa, and flipped the newspaper over to the front page.

"Darn it, we missed the news report," sighed Phoenix as he continued to skim the front over and over.

"What?! Nick! You gave me a heart attack!" huffed Maya as she switched back to the Steel Samurai. "I missed the good part!"

"News is more important than the Steel Samurai you know."

"Listen to yourself Nick, you sound like an old geezer."

_Still 24..._

"What's so important about the news anyway?" asked Maya as she directed her attention back to the kid's show.

"It's the recent huge scandal, it has been on the news for a whole week."

"Then why were you so worried..?"

"I never got a chance to watch it, cases and being a defense attorney is pretty time consuming you know."

"So what's the scandal about?"

"Well, it's the rivalry between two major corporations, WilTech and A.I, both deal with technology. Apparently, the head secretary of WilTech was leaking secrets about their new project, _Time."_

"_Time_..?"

"Right, they haven't officially given the new product a name, so they called it _Time _for now. It's a wrist watch, but not an ordinary one of course. It was a watch, a phone, a music player, and a super computer built into one."

"Whoa! That's incredible! How did they manage that?"

"It's a secret, and the secretary leaked it to A.I."

"Why would she do that?! She worked for WilTech didn't she?"

"I don't know the motive yet since I missed the news report all week, but rumors said she was either bribed or blackmailed."

"What did A.I do?"

"So far, they made a prototype of _Time, _and they are going to release a finalized product of it next year, but it's only going to be a watch and a phone."

"We already have phones though.."

"That's not the point, they couldn't claim the idea their own yet until they made a prototype, which A.I did, but with less features. This allowed them to get it patented, so _Time _belongs to A.I now."

"What about WilTech? Didn't they make a prototype?"

"WilTech didn't finish their prototype yet, since they planned to put every feature in it first, and they didn't release this top secret project to the general public, so A.I can safely claim it as their invention."

"That's so...sneaky! But, we know it's a scandal!"

"WilTech does claim that, but there's no trial yet, so we don't know if it's the truth."

Maya had a puzzled look, it looked like she was in deep thought. Phoenix glanced at the clock, hoping he hadn't taken a too long of a break.

_4:30 already?! "Time" sure does fly!_

The spirit medium saw Phoenix staring at the clock, and she turned her gaze to it. Maya gasped, and rushed to the door.

"Where are you going Maya?" asked Phoenix as he ran after her.

"I'm going to be late for the train! I have to go back to my village to tell everyone what happened in the trial today!" answered Maya as she went down the flight of stairs.

"Why can't you just call them?"

"Reception back at the village isn't great, most calls don't get through. Bye Nick! Thanks for everything!"

"W-Wait, you're just going to leave?"

"I'll come back at nine, so we can celebrate and get burgers!"

"Ok..See you soon."

She had already left the building by the time Phoenix reached the bottom of the stairs. He sighed and went back up to the second floor. Locking the door behind him, he turned off the T.V and settled back into the desk chair to begin to work again. Not wanting to start, he looked around the white desk. He fidgeted with his pen and tapped it on some documents he was working on, and saw a thin stack of mail on the corner of his desk near the small table lamp.

_"I haven't even touched the mail yet."_

Phoenix stopped tapping his pen and took the stack of mail.

"Bill, bill, bill, junk, bill, and more jun-" he said dully until he reached the last envelope. It was very peculiar, and stood out from the rest he had received. It was a slim gold envelope with a genuine wax seal and a red ribbon the front. The front also had some words inscribed fancily and it said: To Phoenix Wright. He has never seen an envelope like this, and kept flipping it back and forth.

_There's no address on the front...or a stamp._

The wax seal was easy to peel off, and there was a crisp ticket and a letter that was folded neatly was inside. It read:

_Dear Phoenix Wright,_

_ You've been invited as a special guest to my humble party that will be hosted on my personal cruise ship. The ticket included in this invitation has the directions to the designated location. Please do not lose the ticket, it is required for entry. It will last three days, so please do prepare prior to the party. I hope to meet you there._

_ Best Regards,_

_ Dennis J. Wilson_

Phoenix stared at the letter with a dumbfound as it processed in his spiky head.

_"Dennis J. Wilson... that's the president of WilTech! Why has he invited me to his cruise ship? We never have spoken before, and there's no contact information on the letter or the ticket. And a cruise party at a time like this for him, how strange..._

The whole ordeal seemed suspicious enough to decline, but he never have been on a cruise ship. He has seen pictures of the beautiful interiors of the ship and the massive exterior, but he never had the urge to temptation to be on one. Now that there's an offer that gave him the perfect opportunity, he was swayed by his personal desire. But, he'll definitely check in with Maya first, and complete any unfinished work. Phoenix shoved aside the bills and junk mail, and stashed away the gold envelope and ticket in the top drawer of the desk. But, he hesitated to shut the drawer, and took out the white letter from his pocket he took from Edgeworth's briefcase.

The letter was from Phoenix to Edgeworth, and it was not the first. He has wrote many in the past years, trying to reach his old friend, but to no avail. Edgeworth has never written back once, and Phoenix continued anyway until last month. He's not the same man from back then, he's now cold, ruthless, and unforgiving, fitting the role "Demon Prosecutor" perfectly. Yet, finding this letter among his belongings, what does it mean?

_"After all this time, I thought he didn't care and tossed my letters away..."_

Phoenix put the white envelope besides the golden one, and closed the drawer. A small smile cracked from his lips as he glanced down to the leather briefcase which was sitting next to the wall.

_"I'll return the briefcase myself." _


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**September 9, 6:00 P.M (Prosecutor's Building, High Prosecutor's Office)**

_"It has been two short hours, yet that mountain of work is finished..."_

Edgeworth stared at the laptop's screen apathetically, and his finished work papers by his side. Losing his briefcase didn't hinder him as much as he expected, since he had made copies of the case files. Investigations have already been conducted and their results all point to the prime suspect. The means, motive, and opportunity have been established in his favor, making it a solid case. For a nice touch, there was even a witness who saw the murder.

_"If only today's trial was that clean cut..."_

The prosecutor grimace as remembered his record was no longer perfect. He had failed to convict every criminal who disguised themselves as the "defendant," failed Mr. Von Karma, failed at his profession, but worse of all, he failed against a greenhorn, in this case, green spikes. He knew this day was coming, yet he ignored the possibility. That man has written him so many letters about his daily life, it overflowed his top drawer. He didn't know why he kept them there, they were practically useless and a waste of space. But every since he received the letters, reading them sparked warmth in his icy, cold heart. Edgeworth never had the courage to pick up his quill to write back, and he didn't want the past to be in his present life anymore. He had left those in the past with unanswered question, and he hasn't contacted them since. But Phoenix Wright...he's his own special case, and it's not just the hair.

To see him again, Edgeworth didn't know what to feel. Loathe him for ruining his perfect record, or embrace him for caring so much.

His train of thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock at his office's door.

"Come in," Edgeworth said.

The scruffy detective with his worn out green trench coat came in and was holding a bulk of files under his arm.

"Sir, I got the case reports you requested," saluted Detective Gumshoe as he dropped the files on the polished mahogany desk. The stack rise from the desk's surface to the tip of Edgeworth's nose. Edgeworth's right eye slightly twitched.

"T-Thank you, Detective..."

"No problem sir!'

_"Nngh.."_

"Mr. Edgeworth sir, is there something wrong? You look a tad pale there."

"I'm perfectly fine Detective, I'm just a bit exhausted," explained Edgeworth as he straightened up in his seat and adjusted his frilly cravat.

"You should take a break, this pile is gonna take your night away!" chuckled Detective Gumshoe. Edgeworth's eye twitched again.

_"You don't say..."_

The detective eyes started shifting back and forth, and his eyebrows did a wave movement from left to right. The prosecutor could tell he was thinking from such an obvious sign.

"Sir..these cases are pretty old, they're from at least three years ago," said Detective Gumshoe in thought. "Why do you need 'em?"

"I'm well aware of that, and it's for relation purposes."

"Oh! Are you doing the WilTech's scandal case?"

"WilTech's scandal? _Is this what that letter was referring to?"_

"Yup, it's between A.I and WilTech. It's all over the news sir!"

_"I think it's safe to assume that's the scandal."_

"Why would the three murder cases be connected to A.I in anyway, Detective?"

"I just thought it might be..but probably not," said the detective as he cocked his head and faced to the right while scratching his temple.

"That's a far-fetched conclusion you've made."

"Sorry sir..."

_"No, they are definitely connected. Why else would Mr. Wilson send them to me, and how did he have access to the files?"_

"Don't you need the actual files sir?" asked Detective Gumshoe.

"That won't be necessary, I currently have them in my possession," replied Edgeworth as he took an unopened report. The detective looked at the prosecutor in bewilderment as he read one of the case files.

"Is there something you need, Detective?" asked the prosecutor without looking up.

"Um..uh..d-do you want some coffee sir?" Detective Gumshoe stuttered.

Edgeworth glanced at his herbal cup of tea which was no longer steaming. It had gone cold and he only drank half of it, and this was still his first cup. He was going to be up all night anyway, so might as well...

"Yes, thank you Detective, I appreciate it," responded Edgeworth.

"R-Right, I'll get some right away!" said the detective, not budging from his spot.

A moment of awkward silence swept into the office.

Edgeworth put the report down and crossed his arms while staring at the detective impatiently. The detective seemed to have something on his mind.

"If there's something you want to say, please do so instead of uselessly standing there," Edgeworth said irately.

"Well, um, are you missing your briefcase..?" wondered Detective Gumshoe as he covered his head, afraid he asked a stupid question. Edgeworth's subtly raised his eyebrow, but not enough to be detected and kept a straight face. He was hoping that no one would notice.

"What of it? Did you happen to see my briefcase?"

"Sorta..not exactly.."

"Elaborate if you don't mind."

"As I was driving in the traffic jam, I saw a briefcase exactly like yours on a bus!"

"Detective, you know my briefcase is costumed made in Germany, so I seriously doubt that."

"But sir, it has that scale thingy on the flap and the initials _"M.E" _under it."

_"...I'm afraid to ask, but.."_

"Who was holding my briefcase on the bus?"

"I didn't see his face, but he was wearing a blue suit."

_Could it be..?_

"How is his hair?"

"Hair?"

"Yes, how is his hair styled?"

"Hm..now that you mention it, he looked reeeeeeeeally familiar. He had spiky black hair, and I know I've seen it before."

Edgeworth's eye twitched at the word "spiky." There is no other person he knows who wears a cheap blue suit and has such ridiculous hair.

"Sir, are you okay? You look pale again."

"Just get me my coffee."

"Okey-dokey!"

"Wait, Detective," said Edgeworth, halting Detective Gumshoe's movements.

"When did this happen?"

"It's about..ten minutes ago? Something like that."

"..Okay, thank you. How is your nose doing?"

"Great! The pain numbed and I can barely feel anything here!" grinned the detective as he pointed to the large white nose cast.

_Is that a good thing..?_

"I have to head to the precinct for a while Mr. Edgeworth, I'll come back with your coffee as soon as possible!" said Detective Gumshoe gleefully.

"Alright, see you soon."

"Bye! Oh, and you should get your eye checked."

The door closed immediately after that last statement, and Edgeworth frowned in his seat.

_"Time to investigate into this matter.."_

* * *

Edgeworth soon discovered the details in WilTech's scandal, about how the head secretary leaked information to A.I, the rival company. Although the media has reported this during the whole week, the incident has long occurred. It happened two months ago when A.I patented the watch called _Time. _He picked up a case filed sent by Mr. Wilson, and began reading it in full detail. A hit of realization struck Edgeworth's face as he was stunned, and he quickly read the other two murder cases.

_"It's the same for these two..but why?"_

For all three murder cases, the victims were once the head secretary for WilTech, meaning they held the job position as head secretary and died.

_"The current head secretary must be the fourth then.."_

Mr. Wilson was suspected to be the serial killer, but he had no motive for harming his employees and had airtight alibis every time. All three women were murdered brutally, and each died a different way. The first one was due to being hanged, second was stabbed to death multiple times, and third was by a gun. The cases were deemed connected due to all three women having the same job before they died, and one other factor. They had their tongues severed after their death.

This sent a chill down the prosecutor's spine, and he shuddered.

_"The serial killer hasn't been caught yet, so there's a murderer loose in the city.."_

He shook his head at that thought and tried to distract himself with other reports found in the files. Suddenly, the receiver on the phone beeped loudly and caused Edgeworth to jerk up in his seat. He shakily pressed the call button on the phone.

"Mr. Edgeworth, there is a man here to see you," said a familiar secretary's voice.

"Does he have an appointment scheduled with me?"

"No, but he claims to know you personally."

"Who is he?"

"His name his Phoenix Wright."

"..."

Edgeworth hesitated when he heard the name.

"Sir are you there?"

"..."

"Mr.-"

"Send him up."

He quickly let go of the button and leaned back in his chair, heaving a sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**** Hi hi! I'm finally updating properly on behind-the-scenes kind of-ish. First off, I want to say I'm glad to see how many people are viewing and enjoying my story, and some are willing to give positive feedback! (It really makes my day whenever I read your comments!) I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, unless something super-duper, ultra, mega, unfortunate happens, which I hope never occurs :( I'll be responding to the messages I've received, except for the PMs, they are private for a reason. I waited for so long to reply back because I want the comments to accumulate to some number before responding all at once. As a newbie, I didn't expect many people to like my writing, but you all surprised me, so thank you everyone!**

**Review Replies(Woohoo! Finally!)**

GeekyGenius says:

_Hahaha Phoenix is busted! Great first chapter, this could get interesting :)_

**Thank you so much for liking my ever first chapter and being the first reviewer ever! I hope my story stays interesting enough for you!**

Doodo says:

_Eh!? What will Phoenix do!?__ Will Edgeworth know that the one who stalk (Accidentally) Him is his rival!?_

**He will find out soon enough ;) Thank you for reviewing!**

GeekyGenius says:

_Not the way I was picturing that was going to go. Good job, and I think I liked your version better anyway :)_

**Ah, I was thinking that too! I wanted to make it a totally cute, fluff scene! But then I realize Edgeworth was angsty and all during that scene, so he can't be too happy to see Phoenix, and thank you for liking my version!(Even though it was unexpected, woops!)**

guikat says:

_That's a really interesting story. I like that you seem to take your time and don't rush everything. I'll follow you, good luck !_

**Haha thank you! Actually, I feel like I'm taking it way too slow, because eight chapters in, they're still on the first day!(Yikes!) But I totally see your point!**

Mikumo-chan says:

Great job with this chapter! Now, you gotta keep on writing! 'Cuz I have a feeling this is gonna take a very interesting turn real soon ;)

**Wow, your name is so kawaii-desu! Thank you and I will keep writing for you guys!**

BobbyFoolbright says:

_PLEASE continue! For the sake of JUSTICE, this story is amazing! I look forward to seeing it updated! :D_

**I will continue for the sake of Apollo JUSTICE!(LOL, I didn't play Apollo Justice yet and I really should so I can read some of the other terrific fanfic about him!) Thank you for reading/reviewing!**

guikat says:

_It's always interesting but sadly too short. :(  
It'd be cool to have longer chapters._

**I have thought of combining multiple chapters, example one to three, since they're generally in the same setting and mood. But, I didn't flesh out the story too well in my mind, so I'm practically writing the story as it goes, and everything that happens is unexpected, even for me! I also like writing chapters that are between 1k to 2k words long because it means I can update more frequently for you guys and not fry myself out because I am still a newbie at this (Have you seen my profile?! Totally empty! But that's my fault...) In the future when I get used to the habit of writing, I'll try to step my game up! Please don't be sad, or I'll be sad :'( Thank you for your suggestion!**

* * *

Chapter 8

**September 9, 6:30 P.M (Prosecutor's Building, Elevator)**

_"Ding!"_ the elevator chimed as both doors opened simultaneously. Phoenix stepped in the plush red carpet with various designs from the polished sparkling tiles of the elevator lobby. He gripped the handle of the briefcase anxiously as the door closed in front of him. He pressed the quartz white button labeled "12." Phoenix pulled on his salmon red tie with his free hand for comfort. A soft _"ding" _sound would go off every time a floor was reached. As the number of floor number rose, Phoenix's finger was getting closer to the lobby button, hoping it wasn't too late to back down.

_"He's still probably angry, no, VERY angry! Last time I checked, I was the one who ruined his perfect record! And he might get the wrong idea that I stole his briefcase on purpose.."_

The lobby button with the large "L" with a star next to it shined brighter than the other shiny white buttons, tempting him to press it. Phoenix restrained himself, but his collar is nearly choking him to death. Even worse, beads of sweat were exaggeratedly dripping down.

_"Why am I so nervous?! There's no reason for me to act like a complete mess! All I have to do is say "Hi" and drop off his briefcase. Yeah that's it..no, wait!"_

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. Phoenix looked at it in disbelief.

_"How did this happen..?"_

It didn't matter, the letter was enough to render the Demon Prosecutor speechless and confess what he's been hiding all these years. This opportunity couldn't be better for the defense lawyer, well, maybe a little less traffic and map searching would've been nice.

The twelfth _"ding" _went off and the doors slid open, revealing the 12th floor hallway. It had gray dark and light gray tiles, ivory walls with a golden panel along the bottom of the walls. Between each brown wooden door had wall lamps that lit the entire hallway. The halls were empty, except for some white cushioned seats that lined up against the opposite wall of the door. Phoenix walked down the hall with briefcase in hand, searching for the room number "1202" that the secretary told him to go to. Each step he took echoed a _"tack" _in the silence. It was unnerving and made Phoenix feel like in a horror movie, as if he was approaching a demon.

He stopped in front of the door with the nameplate "1202" etched on. Phoenix swallowed in a gulp, and held in his breath.

His hand gave two rapid quick knocks.

The knocks resounded in the still, empty hallway. No one answered. Phoenix expelled his breath and scratched the back of his spiky head.

_"Well, I guess Edgeworth isn't in right now, I'll come back tomorrow. Looks like I can't help it."_

He turned around to walk back to the elevator, and felt as if heavy weights have been lifted from his back.

"Come in, Wright."

Phoenix jumped back from the voice behind the door. There's no mistaking it, the voice belonged to Edgeworth. The metaphoric weights crashed right back down onto Phoenix. His heart started beating faster, and he could feel the blood draining from his face. His hand reached for the doorknob ever so slowly as the briefcase trembled in his other arm. He turned the doorknob and pushed it opened, and let the view overcome him.

The red velvet drapes line with golden frills were closed, blocking the view of city skylights. A book shelf that took the entire right wall of the room was filled with various old cases with a sliding ladder. There was a large sofa occupying the left wall, and a frame with a...fancy jacket on it. The back bookcases held foreign teas and china sets with a very out of place Steel Samurai figurine displayed proudly on top with a decorative flower vase in the corner. The entire office seemed so...Edgeworth. It was very European styled and fancy, Phoenix couldn't help but be in total awe. However, at the fine, case filled wooden desk, there was a unamused, constipated looking man staring icicles at the blue defense attorney.

Phoenix quickly retain his composure and stepped in.

"It's been a long time, Edgeworth..," the defense attorney said coolly as possible as the door closed behind him.

"Mr. Wright, we faced each other in the courtroom today, and had a little "meet-up," informed the prosecutor.

_Urk! Edgeworth's still not over it.._

"I-I have your briefcase, Edgeworth," said Phoenix steering the topic away from the awkward bathroom confrontation, and he held the expensive leather briefcase.

"And why?"

".."

"You didn't steal it, did you?" Edgeworth pointed with his index finger tauntingly.

"Of course not! You left it in the courtroom, you snob!" blurted Phoenix and immediately regretted saying the last statement. He didn't think twice before speaking.

_"Why did I say that?!"_

"Excuse me?!" growled the prosecutor as he stood up from his desk chair. Edgeworth's forehead was furrowed and glared daggers at Phoenix.

"Ah..no..I didn't mean that. Sorry," apologized Phoenix, even though it was true.

"Apology accepted," said Edgeworth as his eyes shifted away. Phoenix could've sworn his eyes soften..

The prosecutor walked over to the stunned attorney, and stuck his hand out. Phoenix looked down at the out stretched hand with a confused expression on his face. He took it as an invitation to shake hands, and Phoenix took his hand and shook it. It was a brief handshake, and both men retracted their arms.

"Mr. Wright.." Edgeworth started to say.

"No hard feelings ey?" Phoenix widely grinned.

"I was merely asking for my briefcase back."

"Eh?"

"Can you please hand it over?"

Phoenix felt dumbstruck, and he stared at Edgeworth's smooth face, unable to form words.

"Mr. Wright?"

"..O-oh, right. Here," Phoenix lifting the briefcase and Edgeworth took it from the handle. Phoenix didn't recoil his fingers quickly enough, and their fingertips brushed against each other softly. The blue defense attorney felt a tiny blush of embarrassment bloom on his cheek as Edgeworth set aside the briefcase on the soft sofa. He then strode over to the door and opened it, gesturing Phoenix to leave his office.

"Thank you for returning my briefcase Mr. Wright, but I must continue my work, so please."

Phoenix couldn't leave yet, he hadn't gotten any answers from him.

_"Does Edgeworth know and is purposely trying to shoo me out.."_

"Edgeworth, you already know don't you?"

"I have no idea what you're going on about."

"Don't-"

"Mr. Wright! I demand you leave my office at once!"

_"He's defensive all of the sudden, so he must know."_

Phoenix pulled out the envelope from his suit jacket, and presented it to Edgeworth. He can see the sudden change in facial expression in the prosecutor's face. Edgeworth went from aggressive to cringing.

"..A-and that is?"

"You know what it is, Edgeworth," said Phoenix in a cocky voice. He headed towards Edgeworth, and closed the office's door shut, forcing Edgeworth to let go.

"What are you-"

"I want an explanation."

"Well, I don't want to discuss this."

"What happened to you? You changed."

"That's..none of your concern."

"Why have you never written back?"

"I don't remember having an obligation to."

"Why did you ignore me all this time?!"

"..."

Phoenix was growing frustrated at Edgeworth's cold attitude. He sought after him all these years to be found shut out. Finding this envelope in his briefcase gave Phoenix little hope that the Edgeworth he knows is still there. But, Phoenix couldn't hold back anymore.

"Answer me, dammit!" yelled the defense attorney. Edgeworth was taken aback by his old friend's rage, he knew Phoenix rarely got angry at anyone. He could see Phoenix's fist clenched and rigid body. Despite that, the prosecutor remained silent.

"I became an attorney, a defense attorney, to meet you! You're a cruel, cold-hearted man that has no mercy towards the innocent! The newspaper even wrote about how much of a "demon" you are!"

Edgeworth squeezed his arm and turned his head away.

"But, I saw that letter in your briefcase, the letter I wrote last month to you. I thought you cared at least a little.."

The angry glint in Phoenix's eyes vanished, and his gaze fell glumly to the floor. Edgeworth could see the hurt on his face, and a pang of guilt struck him.

The prosecutor and defense attorney stood in awkward silence. Edgeworth couldn't bear his go-lucky old friend of his this depressed, he knew he needed to make amends for being so..childish. Just as Edgeworth began to apologize, the door sprung opened.

The scruffy detective with a nose cast held a tray with two coffee cups in a hand, and the other with his detective badge.

"Phoenix Wright! You're under arrest!" thundered Detective Gumshoe.

Both men in the office stared at Detective Gumshoe.

"Wh-What?!" they both said in unison.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N****: Almost to chapter 10! I have honestly never written something as long as this before, and I'm so happy to hear people are just as pleased as I am! On a side note, more reviews to respond too! **

**Reviews**

xXxMasterDuelistxXx says:

_Can i be a oc? will Edgeworth have to defend Phoenix? What is the reason of this arrest? All this and more on the next episode!_

**OC as in an original character? Unfortunately, I didn't plan on having any OCs in this story and I plan to keep it vanilla with my touch added to it, but if you like, when this story is complete, I can include you in my second fanfic. I'll give you more details in you decide too, just PM me! And the next "episode" is down below c: **

Kez says:

_Oh awesome! great to see so many updates to this! wonder what he's been arrested for?_

**Thank you, I'll keep updating as much as I can! You'll soon find out :)**

Doodo says: (I'm going to combine all four of your recent reviews, hope you don't mind and thank you!)

_Edgeworth was so kind ! Never though that he would be the one who took Gmshoe to the clinic!_

**It was his fault for his broken nose, so he had no choice c: Thank you for reviewing!**

_Eh!? What with that letter? Was it the one Phoenix sent to Edgeworth?_

_Now they will meet again soon !_

**Read to find out! xD**

_I feel happy for Phoenix that he know that Edgeworth kept his letter! And carry it with him all the time!_

**Phoenix does "like" him, teehee c;**

_I really like Gumshoe in this fic! He's so funny and care a lot for Edgeworth!_

_And what did Phoenix do to make him under arrest!?_

**Aw thank you! Gumshoe is so loveable in the game, he's one of my top five favorite characters in the game, and you'll soon find out!**

Mikumo-chan says:

_Yay! so much updates in these past few days :D I swear the drama and suspense are killing me! Keep 'em updates coming, I'll devour them :D__  
__PS: Hahaha you really think that about my user name?__  
__It wasn't hard choosing it, since I love Kay Faraday and her Japanese name is just too cute :3_

**You're welcome and I will! Thank for being so enthusiastic about my story, I really do appreciate it! (I have just started Miles Edgeworth Investigations and I loved Kay's perky attitude right away, and it surprised me that her Japanese name was that cute!)**

* * *

Chapter 9

**September 9, 6:40 (Prosecutor's Building, High Prosecutor's Office)**

Detective Gumshoe shoved the coffee tray into Edgeworth's arms, and roughly grabbed Phoenix by his tie. He dragged him out the hall and shut the office door with a slam, leaving Edgeworth holding the coffee tray.

"Ack! W-wait! Stop!" Phoenix cried in protest. Detective Gumshoe ignored his pleas, and Phoenix tried pulling his tie back.

"..Urk..Detective..you're..choking..me.." sputtered the helpless defense attorney. The detective has more strength than Phoenix, so he knew he couldn't win. Phoenix let Detective Gumshoe lead him to the elevator, for the sake of his neck.

The detective pushed the elevator's down button multiple times, and the elevator's doors promptly opened, and he pushed Phoenix inside before Detective Gumshoe got in himself. Jabbing the lobby button, the elevator's door closed and went down, leaving the two men alone in the elevator.

"Under arrest?! What for?!" exclaimed Phoenix, fearing the worst. He imagined a dead body found in his office, laying limply on the ground next to bloody words that spelled out his own name, Phoenix. But, the detective only sighed, before raising his voice to maximum.

"Pal, you have got some nerve!" snapped the detective, who was clearly seething in anger.

"Huh?! What do you mean?!" Phoenix cried again with the murder scene painted vividly in his head.

"I heard you lashing out on Mr. Edgeworth!"

"What does this have to do with being under arrest?!"

"It doesn't! You're not under arrest!"

"..What?" Phoenix blinked at Detective Gumshoe.

_"Is this detective for real?!"_

"Listen pal, you're not actually under arrest," Detective Gumshoe softly explained as he looked to the side. "I..I heard what you were saying to Mr. Edgeworth."

"You were eavesdropping on us?"

"That's not the point! What I'm trying to say is, you're bringing back some really bad memories for him."

".."

"Look, pal. I know you don't understand, but the stuff you said to him before I stopped you, it really cuts him deep."

Phoenix pressed his lips thin into a line, and stood stiffly in place.

"I should've realized you were _the _Phoenix Wright."

"_The _Phoenix Wright?"

"Yeah, I knew about you before you became a lawyer."

"How?"

"I..I read all the letters you have written.."

"You mean, the letters for Edgeworth?"

"Yup, every single one of them."

Phoenix stared at the detective suspiciously, giving him an disapproving glare.

"I-It's not what you think! I found them in the top drawer of his desk while I was dusting the office! They were practically overflowing from the top."

Phoenix couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he did find that letter in his briefcase.

"Why did you read them?"

".."

"..."

"..I"

"..?"

"I wanted to see what kinda guy you were."

_"What kinda guy I was?"_

"At first, I thought those letters were for requests, I didn't believe that anyone was writing to him. After all, he shut everyone out."

_"So I'm not the only one..."_

"You've seen the papers, and you said it yourself! A cruel, cold-hearted man, that's what everyone thinks! Mr. Edgeworth thinks he's alone, and that the whole world is against him, but your letters proved that wrong. You care about him, don'tcha?"

Phoenix didn't answer, his eyes looked away from Detective Gumshoe's sad, puppy eyes.

"Pal.."

"I do."

"..!"

"Of course I care about him, he's my friend!" Phoenix said with conviction. "I'm not ready to give up on him."

Detective Gumshoe's eyes lit up and smiled, feeling relieved. He took Phoenix by the shoulders, and looked directly into his eyes.

"Thank you," the detective said and squeezed Phoenix's shoulders lightly. The elevator's doors sprung open, and they both went into the lobby. The secretaries were packing up for the night at the front desk as the men went out the main door.

Outside, they stood together in silence, viewing the streets and stores lining the sidewalk. The horizon glowed soft colors of pink, orange, and yellow. It was getting dark, and the street lights flicked on.

"Well..I guess I'll be going," Phoenix scratched the back of his head.

"Not yet, pal" Detective Gumshoe beckoned the defense attorney to follow him to the police car.

"Wh-what?! You said I wasn't under arrest!"

The detective couldn't help it and slapped his face, then yipped in pain. He had forgotten about his broken nose.

"Are you okay Detective Gumshoe?!" Phoenix worried.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," replied the detective as he held his face with both hands. "It's fine, I just hit my broken nose."

_"He hit his broken nose?!"_

"I need you for a private investigation with a group of detectives," said Detective Gumshoe as he lowered his voice, afraid of listening ears. He leaned closer to Phoenix, and whispered the best he could. "I can't say it out in the open, it's supposed to be top secret pal."

_"If it's top secret, then why am I included?"_

"So you have to come to the precinct."

Phoenix sighed. He had to be at the office by nine to meet up for Maya, he did promise her to get burgers. Maya is all alone now..it's surprising how strong she is. He can't leave her hanging, that would be unforgiving.

"Alright, but I have to get back to my office by nine."

"Deal, now c'mon!"

Detective Gumshoe rushed to the driver's seat and got in while Phoenix trudged on the sidewalk. As he got in the shotgun's seat, the detective started up the car and adjusted the mirror.

"What's the "top secret" investigation?" asked Phoenix as he buckled his seat belt. The black leather of the seat felt cool, giving him small chills. All the windows were tinted black from the outside view, but inside it was clear as day. The police car was just like any other car from inside out, but lacked color and had spray painted the car with the police department's logo.

"It's Dennis J. Wilson and his company again," said as he backed up the car carefully.

"_Dennis J. Wilson..."_

"You heard about him on the news, right pal?"

"The president of WilTech?"

"Yup, there's another murder case, and we determined it's by the same serial killer from three years ago."

"There was a serial killing?"

"The three cases were never publicized, so I'll fill you in. Three women died while they were secretaries working for WilTech. Each case was pretty brutal and bloody, and all poor women died a different way with their tongues cut off."

Phoenix shivered a bit, and it's not from the cool leather seat.

"If this case is related to the other three, then the murder victim is the fourth secretary who participated in the recent scandal."

"That's right, and her death was similar to the other three."

"But the serial killing happened three years ago, how are you so sure?"

"Well for starters, she was the head secretary just like the other women, and her tongue was gone too. We found her body in the bottom of a lake, bounded by her hands and feet. The weird thing is, she didn't die because of drowning. She was strangled to death, possibly from the dog collar we found tightly around her neck."

"This doesn't sound as similar as the others, and it's circumstantial evidence."

"That's what we all thought, but the serial killer left a note behind."

"What did it say?"

"It was soggy from the lake water, but the forensics were able to decipher it. The note was definitely written by the serial killer. "Last One," was written with black ink."

_"Last One.. Does this mean this is the last murder of the serial killer?"_

"Is Mr. Wilson suspected for the murder?"

"Not yet, we haven't been able to contact him. He wasn't in his mansion, and he didn't come into work according to his employees."

Phoenix thought hard, but it didn't make sense. Why would the investigation need his help, he knew nothing about the case until now.

"Detective, I might not be able to help you. I don't even know Mr. Wilson and have never met him."

"Wh-What?!"

The detective swerved the car onto the other lane, and almost crashed into an incoming truck. Luckily, he reacted fast enough to turn back to the other side and avoided a car accident. Phoenix, however, was screaming in the car, gripping his seat belt for dear life. The cars behind them honked their horns loudly in frustration of the detective's careless driving.

"Heh..sorry pal," Detective Gumshoe grinned nervously at Phoenix, who was scared half to death.

"Gah! Detective! Please don't do that!" cried Phoenix as he struggled to calm his nerves. He was slightly trembling from the shock.

"Geez, I said sorry. At least we didn't crash or anything."

_"At least?!"_

"Anyway, we're here."

They arrived to the headquarters of the police department. It wasn't spectacular, it looked rather dull. The main color was light blue, just like the police uniforms. They rolled up into the parking lot, and the detective parked the car. He turned off the engine and unlocked the car, then turned to face Phoenix. He narrowed his eyes and thick eyebrows at Phoenix, wrinkling his forehead.

"Is it true you don't know him, pal?" Detective Gumshoe asked with suspicion. Phoenix didn't understand why it was such a concern.

"Yeah, never shook hands with him."

"No connections?"

"None at all."

"You mean it?"

"Yes, Detective. Zero. Nada."

The detective was obviously still skeptical, and couldn't hide it. Phoenix unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door. He didn't get out just yet.

"You know, we found your name and personal information in his study room.."

"What?"

"Your name was on a torn piece of paper with a few other people, it had a star next to it too. And that's just the start, there was even a picture of you, Harry Butz, and Edgeworth as kids."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**September 9, 7:30 (Criminal Affair's Department, Division 1)**

Phoenix sat at one of the many office chairs owned by detectives who rarely used their desks. It was pretty late, and most of the employees have left for the night, except a few who were feverishly typing on their keyboards. He looked around at the endless gray rows of office desks side by side with one another, and the same blue swivel chair for each desk. The computers were old models and out dated by today's new flashy PCs and what not. There was one large gray desk isolated in the front of the room, but looked identical to the other gray desks lined up, but larger.

_ "No wonder why detectives don't use their desks," _Phoenix blandly commented in his mind. _"Working in a place like this would be so boring, it'll probably drive me nuts."_

He continued to scan the office, trying to find a cure for his boredom. Above the large desk, there was a calendar with a woman in a blue uniform saluting. It read "_Monthly Issue of Women in Uniforms." _The defense attorney couldn't find anything particularly appealing about the calendar, besides the color of the uniform. Phoenix began to stare at the doorway, hoping Detective Gumshoe will come at any moment. The detective went into the evidence room to retrieve the recent findings from the investigation and the case files for the fourth murder. Unlike the detective, the attorney had no permission to enter it, thus waiting in the homicide division is all he could do. He eyed the clock and sighed.

_"It's been ten minutes, where is he?"_

"Hey pal! I got the stuff!" yelled Detective Gumshoe with a bundle under his arm. The few workers in the room looked up from their screens to shoot the scruffy detective with angry glares and hushes. Detective Gumshoe closed his mouth and whimpered as he trotted over to a seat next to Phoenix. He plopped down into the swivel chair and took three clear plastic bags from the stack, shoving it into the defense's attorney's face.

"Take a look, pal," said the detective as he put the files onto the tidy gray desk.

Phoenix took the evidence bags in front of his face and examined each one carefully. Two of the bags contained the items what Detective Gumshoe mentioned earlier, a piece of paper with his name and a photo. The paper wasn't out of the ordinary, it had a couple of names written in ink, some highlighted and others were not. His own name was highlighted with neon yellow like the others, but there was a gold star next to his.

_"It looks like some kind of list. But for what?"_

There was tear line on the bottom of the sheet, implying the list is incomplete. At the tear line, there is a name that has been cut-off, but it didn't look too important. However, the photo was. He didn't believe the detective, but it was in the second bag. Phoenix gingerly held the plastic evidence bag with both hands, staring down at the photo of him and his childhood friends.

* * *

"Miles, you're not done yet?" Phoenix peered over to the well-dressed boy, who was struggling.

"This is my best one yet!" exclaimed Larry as he held up a perfectly folded crane as if he won an award. It was bright orange, just like the boy's shorts, and it gleamed in the sunlight from Phoenix's bedroom window. Edgeworth leered at the folded craned in Larry's hand, then crumpled the red piece of paper into a ball. Phoenix looked at Edgeworth, who was on the verge of crying. He noticed there were other crumpled balls of red paper hidden in Edgeworth's pockets.

"I-I give up," Edgeworth shakily said, trying to hold in his tears. Larry was too much of a dunce to notice his friend's forming tears and taunted.

"You can't fold a crane? Oh come on dude, it's the easiest thing in the world! Everybody on this planet knows how to fold one," Larry mockingly said. Edgeworth started to sniff and tears rolled down his cheek. He bit his lip, holding in the cry, but his lips trembled. In no time, he burst into tears and cried loudly. He buried his face in his hands to hide his crying face, but it didn't help, it made him look even sadder. The other two boys were surprised to see the usual prideful and cool Edgeworth to cry over a paper crane.

"Larry!" Phoenix scolded the idiot wearing a tank top in fall.

"H-Hey! I didn't mean to make Edgey cry!" Larry yelled defensively.

"Go get the tissues you idiot," commanded Phoenix as he went over to his sobbing friend. Larry raced out of the room to the kitchen to get the tissue box.

Phoenix put his hoodie sleeved arm around Edgeworth, doing the best he can to comfort him.

"Miles.. you okay?"

Edgeworth shook his head as he wiped the over flowing tears streaming from his eyes.

"You can always make another one, here" said Phoenix as he grabbed another red sheet of origami paper off the edge of his bed. Edgeworth shook his head again, rejecting his blue friend's offer.

"I can never make a crane" said Edgeworth between sobs. Phoenix glanced at the previous attempts Edgeworth have made, all of the used red origami paper were full of wrong folds, some even have cut marks by a scissor.

"Do you know how to?"

"..No," the gray haired boy answered honestly, wiping the last remaining tears.

"I'll teach you! And Larry can help too!" Phoenix reassuringly grinned at Edgeworth, who turned his head away. His face was flustered and was pink of embarrassment, and he fidgeted with his red bow tie.

Larry dashed into the room with a box of tissue in his hand, but he tripped over Edgeworth's leather satchel that was leaning against the dresser's side. The box of tissues flew from his hand and smacked Phoenix on the forehead as Larry fell on the carpet floor face first, muffling his yelp.

"Ow!" Phoenix cried out as the box of tissues bounced off and landed in front of Edgeworth perfectly. Larry lifted his head and scratched the back nervously.

"Woops?" said Larry with a quirky smile.

Edgeworth looked back and forth at both of his best friends, both rubbing some part of their face. He started to laugh at both of them as he sniffled, with the other two boys sideway glanced each other with confusion. In the end, they were all laughing how stupid things happened and continued to play together until it became late.

Phoenix smiled warmly to himself, remembering how Edgeworth was so happy when he made his first crane after Phoenix taught him several times. Larry thought it was a huge achievement and took a picture of Edgeworth holding his first successful folded crane with Phoenix besides him.

* * *

"Um..pal? Something wrong?" the detective raised a thick eyebrow at the defense attorney who was smiling to himself. Phoenix snapped out of his reminiscing, and quickly responded.

"N-Nothing, was feeling a bit nostalgic, heh."

He scanned at the photo once more, taking one good look, then his eyebrows furrowed.

_"That's strange.."_

"Detective," Phoenix called for his attention.

"Yeah?"

"You said Larry was in this photo, but I don't see him anywhere, and I don't remember him being in the picture at all during the time. How did you know he was there?"

Detective Gumshoe looked smugly at Phoenix, feeling great that he knew something that the rookie defense attorney didn't. He then pointed at the upper left corner, drawing Phoenix's gaze to the spot.

"You gotta look reeeeeeeeeeeal close at it."

Phoenix squinted as he brought the photograph closer to his face. In the corner, he can see a small part of a mirror reflecting Larry's goofy face, holding a camera.

_"How did anyone manage to spot that?"_

"Did you really find this at Mr. Wilson's house?"

"Yup, and the paper crane."

_"Wait what?!"_

Phoenix grabbed the third evidence bag, which he didn't get a chance to look at, and sure enough, a lone red paper crane was in it. The crane was exactly identical, but all cranes look the same when folded correctly.

_"Exactly identical.."_

"Is this the same paper crane from the photo?"

The detective looked unsure for a brief moment, but then rebounded.

"What else would it be?"

Phoenix held the photo and the bag in front of the detective's face, making sure he got the point he was driving towards.

"Compare the two detective, isn't there something off?"

Detective Gumshoe couldn't see no difference, and his face twisted in confusion.

"There's nothing different, they look exactly the same.."

"That's right."

"Just say it already pal!"

It was Phoenix's turn to be smug.

"This photo was from over a decade ago, and so is the crane. Why isn't it faded or worn-out?"

Detective Gumshoe didn't agree with Phoenix's point.

"They could have kept it in a safe place."

Phoenix shook his head at the detective's counter argument.

"This was Edgeworth's crane, so it should be in his possession. But if somehow another person stole it or he lost it himself, by the time it reaches here, it should be in a pretty bad condition."

The detective wasn't totally convinced, but it did make some sense. He then took the bag with the photo and pointed at it.

"Wouldn't the photo be faded or worn out too?"

"Right, so the photo is a copy."

The detective tried to work out the logic in his head, rubbing his chin and shifting his eyes.

"You need the original to make a copy right?" questioned the confused detective.

"Yeah, but I don't know how or where they even got the original photo."

The defense attorney re-examined the bags of evidence found in Mr. Wilson's study room.

_"The police searched the president of WilTech's house? What for?"_

"Why did you search his house?" asked Phoenix suddenly.

"Huh?" Detective Gumshoe was a bit in a daze.

"Earlier you said he wasn't in his house and searched the place and found these items. What was the investigation about?"

The detective sighed and took out one more clear plastic bag. Inside were a few shards of glass, and he handed it over to Phoenix.

"To be honest," the detective confessed, "the first three weren't part of the official investigation, but the glass was."

"You took the others without permission from the crime scene?!" exclaimed Phoenix. Detective Gumshoe's eyes shifted again and frowned. "There was no crime scene, well it seemed like nothing really happened."

Phoenix waited for the detective to explain, who was searching for a case file in the stack. He gave it to the attorney and continued.

"Neighbors heard glass breaking and called us right away, and boy their mansions are huge."

The defense attorney rolled his eyes at the detective.

"Anyway, we got there in a jiffy, and right away I could tell there was no one or any signs of thievery."

"What do you mean?"

"For starters, the front door was locked, and we had to break it down to get in. The back door was locked too, and nothing was stolen or out of place."

"Then where did the glass come from?"

"I'm getting there. All windows were closed and also locked shut, but there was one broken window, and that was in the study room on the second floor."

"The room where you found the items related to me."

"Yup, and there wasn't broken glass in the room at all, they were found below the window outside in the backyard."

_"Outside..?"_

"The room itself was pretty neat and tidy, not a speck of dust. There was absolutely no signs of struggle, besides the broken window."

_"No signs of struggle at all? I doubt that."_

"Detective, how long did it take you to arrive at the mansion?"

"Er..I'll say around five to seven minutes."

Phoenix resisted the urge to yell objection, afraid the workers will hiss angry hushes. There was a huge contradiction to what Detective Gumshoe stated. Instead, he presented the bag of broken glass shards.

"The glass shattering of the broken window was what the neighbors heard," Phoenix explained as if he was in court, "and it is proof that there was a struggle in the room."

"The study room was perfectly clean with no mess pal, here's a photo of the scene to prove it."

Detective Gumshoe held the photo at Phoenix's nose, causing the attorney to push his head back. He took the photo from the detective's hand and studied it, and smiled smugly.

"This is more evidence that there was a struggle."

"Wh-What?!"

"There was a seven minute time gap between the noise heard and the police's arrival. Anyone could easily cover their trace and leave before you guys came."

"That's all circumstantial, not solid proof pal!"

"But this photo of the study room proves it!" Take a look at the windows."

The detective scanned the tidy room's windows, finding nothing strange.

"There are drapes covering them, they were at the scene beforehand."

"At the exact moment when you entered the room?"

"Yeah, we didn't touch anything before taking the picture...oh!"

Detective Gumshoe's face lit up when he reached the conclusion.

"The room was a disaster and they cleaned the room up, but they can't replace a broken window in that time limit, resorting to covering it with the drapes! Even if the window was broken while draped over, there would be tiny bits of broken glass fragments stuck to the fabric or a small tear. So someone tried to cover their traces."

Phoenix beamed with confidence at his flawless logic, but Detective Gumshoe still had a confused look on his face.

"But..everything was locked up, we even had to barge through the front door."

"They must have been let in and had a key, so it was someone Mr. Wilson knew."

"That means that.." the detective trailed off. Phoenix nodded and knew exactly what the other man was thinking.

"The president of WilTech has been assaulted."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**** Hey there! How y'all doing? I've been updating less frequently when I first started and I know many of you are disappointed in me. I'm very sorry, I've been getting writer's block, not a very good excuse, but I had a little bit of time to work the main details and plot when I wasn't writing for a while, so I won't be writing in the dark so much now. During my thinking phase, I had a chance to revise my second fanfic's story idea, but I can't start on it just yet. This story is far from being finished, and I hope I'll be able to complete it in two months, and thank you for sticking with me and my first fanfic! **

**Reviews **

tezmillion says:

Man. The first few chapters were already good enough to make me love this. But it's getting EVEN more interesting and I can't wait to see where this story goes! 8D

**I'm happy to hear you're continuing to enjoy my story! Thank you for reviewing!**

Doodo says:

Phoenix, Miles and Larry were so cute and innocent when they're young /!

Why they had Miles' fake crane in the room!? What they wanted from the trio?

**All shall be revealed soon enough ;)**

* * *

Chapter 11

**September 9, (?,Unknown)**

It was late at night, the streets were empty and quiet except for the soft wind breezing, shaking branches of dead trees nearby. A woman walked quickly, dragging an overstuffed black suitcase, tailing her black heels. Her footsteps echoed, no one to hear. She wore a dark navy blue trench coat, covering her neck line to the bottom of her bare knees. Silky black hair swayed back and forth, the ends of her hair brushing her jaw line. Her black fedora tied with a white ribbon kept most of the short, neat hair from being blown gently with the wind, while the brim hiding her eyes. There was a metal fence on edge of fields surrounding the lone street, and they were empty besides the withered brown grass and dead trees popping up occasionally. It was serene and peaceful in the eerie atmosphere, and she kept the suitcase close by. Little white squares came into view, doting the empty fields. They turned out to be decayed tombstones, old and cracked due to time. There were a couple of morgues and angel statues in weeping poses, perhaps mourning for the long dead.

Stopping in front of a tall gate, she took a rusted key from her pocket and grasped it with her gloved hand. She shoved the key into the lock and gave it a quick turn. The gate creaked as it was pushed, and the dark woman continued into the cemetery and the gate doors locking behind her as it closed. Stone graves lined in rows, overgrown with moss and eroded as she strolled down the dirt path. Passing the tombs like crooked, stained teeth, she headed for the largest morgue in the cemetery, with more weeping angels guarding the front. The moon's pale light shone on the statue's faces, clearly etching the fine details. Their faces were filled with agony and despair with gaping mouths and pained eyes instead of sorrowful expressions. The woman lugged the heavy suitcase behind her and ignored the setting, determined to complete the task at hand. Her heels tacked on the small steps to the morgue and opened the wooden door. It was already propped opened for her and she stepped in.

Inside was musty with a strange thick smell lingering in the air. Despite from the outside view, it was brightly lit with oil lanterns that hung between columns of coffins. There was another lady there, standing with her arms folded in the center of the morgue. Her blonde hair flowed freely onto her shoulders, and she had a pair of leopard framed sunglasses on the top of her head. The hip length leather jacket and red tube top exposed her slim stomach, with ripped leather jeans showing parts of her smooth legs. She stomped towards the woman with the suitcase, and her high motorcycle boots pounded against the stone floor. Under the brim of her hat, she could see the blonde's annoyed expression.

"You are an hour late! Where the hell were you, rookie?!" screamed the blonde, "There are no room for mistakes or delays!"

She raised a leather sleeved arm and slapped the navy blue woman across the face with a satisfying crack. The force was hard enough to instantly form a reddening hand print and knock her fedora off. Her neat black bangs shadowed her eyes as the superior woman continued to berate her.

"Stupid woman! Just because you're new, I won't be lenient in any way! Did you do your part correctly? Show me the suitcase, you might've put rocks in there instead!"

Holding the suitcase by the handle, the dark woman obliged and crouched down to unzip the suitcase partially, revealing the contents inside. The blonde woman stood over her and peered in.

"Good, I'll tell the others everything is going smoothly," said the blonde as she calmed down. The black haired woman nodded in agreement and her trimmed bangs bounced subtlety. The blonde's red lips frowned as she glared, reverting back to her annoyed expression.

"What was that under your bangs?!" she barked as the blonde lady grabbed the woman's black hair. It was what she thought, bandages hidden under. Her red lips parted, showing the clenched teeth behind.

"You..you stupid woman! You got hurt on the job?! You must've left evidence behind, and we'll be found out because of you! I have no idea why the boss trusted you, I bet you gave him a blowjob or had sex with him! This is unbelievable!

The navy blue woman stood silently as she was being yelled at. She would have to deal with the blonde's abusiveness a little longer, just a little longer until her revenge.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and another sharp slap whipped across her face, hitting the same cheek.

"I asked you, how did this happen!?"

"..."

"Answer me!"

"..My head..smashed the window..," stammered the lady in navy blue, "But there was no blood left behind, I cleaned everything, but I couldn't fix the broken window.."

This relieved the angry woman, and she heaved a sigh as she adjusted her tube top and jacket. She put her hand inside one of the many pockets sewed on the leather jacket and pulled out a bloodied pouch.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook this time, they can't trace us if they have no lead. Was there any witnesses?" the blonde calmly said in a forgiving tone. The other woman shook her head, and was given the pouch. It had drawstrings tightly yanked, completely closing the bag.

"Take the suitcase to our specialist back at the hideout, and for the pouch, give it to one of our hounds. It has a tongue in it, a good snack for them, wouldn't you say?"

* * *

The two women walked out side-by-side of the morgue, and through the abandoned cemetery. They went their separate ways, the blonde got on her motorcycle and zoomed away, leaving the navy blue lady in the dust. She tucked the pouch in her trench coat pocket, then scrambled to take it out. Dropping the bloodied pouch with a tongue, she searched her empty pockets.

_"..They're gone..my crane and photo.."_


End file.
